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HEALTH CARE (THE WAY FORWARD)

After seven years of discontent the Affordable Health Care proposal on the table is inadequate. I find it difficult to believe that this is the best Republican Party Law makers can draft. It is possible that the principal architect is mentally inebriated from being too close to the project for that period of time. It is possible that the principal architect is subconsciously locked into his understanding and interpretation of the issue that it is impossible for him to construct a satisfactory plan.

From the start the issue was misunderstood and therefore each submitted resolution was doomed to failure. The question was and still is, how do we provide Health Insurance for millions of Americans who are uninsured and in some cases underinsured.

The reason we have a Health Insurance issue is because most Americans have coverage which is connected to their employment. Some of the uninsured are no longer employed and Cobra is too expensive. Others are employed but their Health Insurance is too expensive and simply cannot afford it.

Perhaps Law Makers should step back and reevaluate. Sometimes you can get so close to a project that it is impossible to see the forest from the trees. This is where the Principal architect and those close to him are. I suppose the frame work of the idea can be maintained but before a satisfactory plan is reached, there will need to be significant Re-write and Amendments.

Each time affordable access to Health care is discussed, cynics and the dis-ingenuous raise the subject of Entitlements. Leave entitlements alone. Such discussion only muddies the water, clutter the table, or create distraction. Leave entitlements alone. People either paid for or earned their entitlements. Therefore, that subject is irrelevant. The bottom line is can you provide assistance regarding Health Care for your citizens. If you cannot, then we should shut up.

Truth be told, drafting a satisfactory “Affordable Health Care” proposal is a challenging Project but not insurmountable. People need to step back and assess the situation, map a resolution, and then move forward to remedy. It seems to me mapping a resolution should include but not limited to the following bullets:

Do not fix or legislate on what is not broken. Citizens who are employed and like their Insurance should be left alone. However, leave the door open should their status change.

Those employed but underinsured should be included in the plan.

Those employed but cannot afford to be insured should be granted access and provided for consistent with Direct Primary Care entities like Atlas MD.

Those unemployed and not insured should be granted access and provided for consistent with Direct Primary Care entities like Atlas MD.

For those unemployed and not insured or employed but cannot afford, the Government should develop a partnership with local Clinics to service these individuals and reimburse clinics on a pre-determined scale.

Government to encourage Direct Primary Care entities like Atlas MD and local Clinics to engender solid relationships with Local and Regional Hospitals for support or advanced procedures.

If unemployment status changes, then individuals should declare and contribute to the cost of their care.

Cost for care should = (Historical average Dollar benefits/ current Annual Salary) * Cost for each Service

If the above is not maintained and ultimately satisfied, then the annual amount for each Tax Year should be withheld from Refund.

Are we there yet? It will be a tragedy if Law Makers cannot focus long enough to Repeal and Replace the current fiasco known as “Affordable Health Care”. Any legislation with the word Mandate will fail to deliver according to expectations. There seems to be a fixation on the word mandate to the extent that it continues to be a part of Legislation from the Clinton era to now.

Will someone put the word Mandate back into the Dictionary. Equally relevant, any legislation which tries to give more than the necessary credence to Insurance companies will fail to deliver according to expectations.

Law Makers need to determine how much and what involvement should Insurance companies have in the development of the ultimate document. If Insurance companies are given a major role in the crafting of the ultimate document, it will fail to deliver consistent with the real need of the people. Do not expect Insurance companies to assist in the legislation of equitable and in some cases free Health Insurance for the people.

Yes, in some cases based on a means test or affordability scale some of my fellow Americans will require free Health Insurance and Care. And why not. If you can go abroad and provide free Health Care, then why not do it for our citizens. Charity begins at Home.

No Insurance company is about to craft legislation that will take money out of their pockets willingly. That is just not good business practice. However, this matter is not about the business of Health Insurance. It is about the people and their need for affordable Health Insurance devoid of complicated verbiage. Insurance companies will not lose money. Sure, they may lose money on the Health Insurance line item but they will make it up on another line. Do not believe that the Health Insurance companies only sell Health Insurance. The current White House Administration should know that very well.

Now is the time to repeal the current fiasco known as “Affordable Health Care”. Timing is everything. The Republican Party and the newly elected Administration must seize the moment and act accordingly but with more forward thinking. Everyone is consumed with the cost to Government. I agree that is important but we are not there yet. The current stage is the draft. The current stage is the Pro Forma. No plan is complete without revision. There will be time enough for counting, when the deal is done.

Millions of Americans are, or soon to be without Health Care because they cannot afford Health Insurance. I realize that Legislators feel the need to provide input and be part of the Legislation and that is awesome but let’s get on with the provision.

Where will the money coming from? The money comes from a reduction of each current line item on the budget reduced by what you think provision of Health Insurance will cost. Any detail discussion of this premise is unnecessary in this article. The best Financial person in the Administration should be able to take what I just wrote and convert it into a revised Balance Sheet.